Punching apparatus



17, 1933- M. E. FERNALD PUNCHING APPARATUS Filed lay 22, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet l Mama! Oct. 17, 1933. FERNALD 1,930,591

PUNCHING APPARATUS Filed May 22, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 0a. 17, 1933. M. E. FERNALD 1,930,591

PUNCHING APPARATUS Filed lay 22. 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig: 3. mm

//V vf/vra/i Patented Oct. 17, 1933 UNITEDSTATES PUNCHING APPARATUS Mark E. Fcrnald, Beverly, Mass, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Paterson, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application May 22, 1929. Serial No. 365,04 1 29 Claims. (01. 1s4 ss) My invention relates to apparatus for perform ing such operations as the punching of openings in various articles. The embodiment of the apparatus herein illustrated is especially adapted for thus operating upon the tips of umbrella-ribs.

In the manufacture of umbrellas, there are frequently applied to the free ends of the ribs ornamental tips commonly formed from a moldable material. To these tips, the fabricof the cover is sewed, a hole being made near the outer endof the body-portion of each tip to receive the attaching thread. It has been customary to drill these holes, the handlingof the tips for thispurpose substantially increasing the manufacturing cost. An object of my invention is to avoid such individual manipulation of the articles, and to provide for their accurate perforation in a definite relation to, their extremities. This object I attain by an'apparatus in which there is combined with such an operating mechanism as a die-block and a reciprocatory punch by which the desired openings are produced, a receptacle, asa rotatable drum, to receive a mass of the articles, together with means for conducting the articles one by one from'the receptacle to the punching mechanism, and for determining the end of each article which shall be advanced foremost for punching. The openings may be very efficiently produced in this Way, the action of the punch being rapid, the location of the openings a ccurately determined with respect to one or the other of the ends of the tips, and the delivery of said tips being entirely automatic. On account of the speed of operation of the punch, a single conducting path between the receptacle and perforating mechanism may not deliver the articles as rapidly as they can be operated upon. I therefore advance the articles in a plurality of series, in the present instance two, and deliver successively from different series. This may be accomplished by two conduits which are a part of a raceway system, a feeding member which supplies the punching mechanism, and a memher acting as a valve and alternately delivering articles from the conduits to the feeding member. In this way, while a tip from one conduit is being fed forward for punching, another may be re'- ceived from the associated conduit and pre sented to the action of the feeding member as soon as said feeding member has returned to its normal position and while the punch is acting. To avoid injury to the apparatus by clogging at the delivering or valve member, the portions of the conduits adjacent thereto may be yieldable, so they may share in the. movement of the member. Associated with the operating'mechanism is shown anovel' arrangement of a 'yieldable clamp, into which the feeding member thrusts the work to be held in correct relation for the operation upon it. There is also preferably included means for pressing the clamp upon the received article, this, as illustrated, consisting of a pressure member reciprocating with the punch.

One of the many forms which this invention may assume is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In these,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the punching apparatus and a portion of the tip-supplying means, other parts being omitted;

Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the tip-delivering and feeding mechanism; I

.Fig. 3 is a similar view of the block or abutment, portion of said mechanism. I I

Fig. 4 shows the apparatus of 'Fig. 1 in perspective and being taken from the right;

Fig. 5 is ,an' enlarged perspective of the delivering, feeding and punching mechanisms;

Fig. 6 is a vertical section through the elements of the punching and clamping mechanisms more closely co-operating with the work;

Fig. '7 shows portions of the work-clamping device' in separated perspective;

Fig. 8 is a bro-ken side elevation of the tipsupplying portion of the apparatus omitted from Fig. 1;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged top plan view of the portion of the raceway device containing the reversing opening; and

Fig. 10 shows this portion of one of the raceways in perspective.

Upon a supporting arm 10 of a main frame 12 of punching apparaius P is mounted adie-block 14, the vertical opening 16 of which is preferably provided with a bushing 18 having at its upper extremity a flaring throat and receiving a reciprocating punch 20. This punch is carried in the lower end of a vertically .movable plunger 22 guided in a bore through an arm 24 of the frame overhanging the die-block. It cuts against the horizontal upper face of an anvil 26 adjustable vertically in the arm by a screw 28 and locked in place by a screw 30. The reciprocation of the punch is shown as effected under the power of a driving shaft 32 journaled in the upper portion of the frame at the rear and rotated by a pulley 38.. The shaft, at its end opposite the pulley, has a crank-pin 40 joined by a link 42 to a bellcrank lever 44 fulcrumed at 46 upon the top of the arm 24. A double link 48 connects the bellcrank to the plunger 22. Thus, for each turn of the shaft 32, the punch is reciprocated through the die-opening 16 to make a perforation in the work resting upon the anvil 26. This work is represented in Fig. 6 of the drawings as consisting of the tip T of an umbrella-rib. The tips, which are commonly of celluloid or similar material, may each possess an approximately cylindrical body=a of substantial length, joined by aninclined portion b '50 a globular end or head 0. At the juncture of the body and head is a point of minimum diameter. To hold the work for the punching operation, it preferably rests in a groove (Fig. '7) beneath the die-block and formed in a fixed jaw 52 and the co-operating end of the anvil. Pivoted at 54 upon the fixed jaw is a movable jaw 56 relained in place by an overhanging angleblock 58. The jaw 56 has a groove 60 registering with the groove 50, and is forced toward the companion jaw by a spring 62 seated in a depres-' sion 68 in the jaw 56 and contacting at its upper extremity with the under side of thddie-block.

With the ends of the grooves are alined openings 66 and 68 in the vertical supporting walls of the die-block, the first of these openings admitting the work-pieces, and the second discharging them after the punching operation. The entrance edge of the groove 60 is chamfered at '70 (Fig. 6), allowing the tips, when forced against this inclined surface, to raise the jaw 56 for their admission. Just before the engagement of the punch with the work, a pressure member 72 is yieldably forced against the upper side of the 'jaw 56. This member is shown as in the form of a foot fixed upon thelower extremity of a spindle 74 arranged to slide vertically in a bracket '76 projecting. from the plunger 22 below its guiding arm. A spring '78, situated between the plunger and the upper surface of the foot, allows the latter to yield when it is pressed against the jaw 56, above which it moves. The foot normally lies at a point below the punch, so, when the plunger 22 descends, the foot bears upon the jaw 56 before .the punch reaches the tip which is between the jaws, yielding as said punch makes is cutting stroke. This retains the work firmly against displacement during the operation upon it, the force exerted by the spring 62 being sufficient to effect retaining engagement of the jaws prior to the punching action. 7

vMeans is provided for automatically delivering the tips or, other work-pieces, one by one from a mass in a receptacle, to the jaws to receive the action of the punch. In the present instance, the receptacle is included in a distributing apparaius D (Fig. 8), being in the form of a drum rotatable about a horizontal axis from a shaft 81 and having buckets 82'by which the tips are lifted from the bottom of the drum and dropped upon the upper extremity of an inclined conducting or raceway'device including an oscillatory frame 83 actuated by connections 85. It is found that the punching mechanism may be operated at a more rapid rate than a single raceway or conducting channel upon the frame 83 can sup- .ply. Consequently, I have arranged to deliver alternately to the punching mechanism from two raceways 84, 84. These raceways, with the connections to the punching mechanism, together with the delivering and feeding'mechanisi i which controls the discharge of the tips and their presentation to said punching mechanism, will now be described. v

Each raceway 84 is of V or trough-shape, considered transversely, and conducts the tips dropped upon it by the buckets of the drum in ported upon a bar 90 'extendingacross the frame 83. Each finger has its forward end concave at its under side to generally correspond to the lateral contour of the tips and lying in proximity to the upper edge of the corresponding opening 86. Set-screws 89, threaded through the bar 90 and engaging the pivotal mounting of the fingers 88,

permit these to be varied in their relation to the upper edges of the associated openings. Each of these openings has two lobes, separated by a contracted portion furnished by opposite inwardly extending points 92, 92 from the raceway. The space between the points is of sufficient width to pass the inclined portion 1) of the particular tip illustrated in Fig. 6 of the drawings up to a point near the'body a, but will not admit either said body or the head 0. As the tips flow down each raceway, those which are headfirst will leave the finger 88, while the tip-portion b, which is capable of passing at 92, is still over this contracted'space (Fig. 10). At this time,'the weight of the tip is so distributed that it will overbalance upon the rear edge of the raceway-opening and fall into a downwardly and forwardly extending chute 96 depending from the under side of each raceway. If the body a of the tip is foremost, the finger 88 will hold it against tilting until said body has bridged the gap between the points 92 and the forward end of the opening, so it cannot fall through said opening body-end-first. When that portion of the tapering part b which will enter between the points 92 has reached them, the weight of the tip ,will cause it to tilt back upon thefforward edge of the opening and descend, headfirst,' upon the chute 96. To make more certain thereversal, through the opening86, of the tips delivered to it body-first, there is shown extending over and close to the V-bottom of each raceway 84 from the fixed portion of the distributor-frame a pushing finger 95 clamped for longitudinal adjustment at 9'7. If a tip fail to be reversed in the manner just described, it will, in the oscillation of the raceway, be forced back by contact withithe finger 95 and compelled to enter the opening head-first. If, by any chance, a tip rides over the finger 95, it will travel on down the raceway and fall upon a return-chute 98, leading rearwardly into the lower portion of the drum 80, to be again elevated thereby to the raceways. c

The correctly positioned tips are discharged from the chutes 96 and pass, by virtue of their momentum, across a gap at 100, and enter the ends of alined tubes or conduits 102 supported at their upper extremities upon a bracket 103" depending from the fixed frame of the distributor, and at their lower ends-upona bracket 104 (Figs. 1 and 4) carried by an extension 105 from the frame-arm 10 of the punching apparatus 'P. If

the tips accumulate in the conduits 102 more rapidly than they are utilized by the punching apparatus, they will gradually fill the conduits until no more can enter from the chutes 96. The tips discharged from the distributor then fall upon a chute 106, to'be directed to a receptacle,

, supported upon the arm-extension 105. 1 side walls 130 to the rear of each of the shoulin which they may be returned to the drum at the convenience of the operator. To prevent injury to the feeding mechanism of the punching mechanism by clogging, which might occur,

"slots 110 and oppositely against the ends of the slot 112. Either section is left free to move inwardly at its lower extremity toward its companion against the resistance of the spring, when they are subjected to the stresses set up by tips which clog while they are being fed. Both the main conduits 102 and their sections 108 have longitudinal slots 122 in their upper sides, which are closed, to prevent the escape of the work, by rods 124 of relatively small diameter secured at the ends of the slots. Openings of considerable extent are thus produced to allow inspection of the interior of the conduits, so the points at which clogging occurs may be located and the obstruction freed, and enable the operator to remove from the conduits, by inversion, chips and other dirt. In spite of this, the closure is such that the tips cannot ride over one another or be displaced in any other way in the operation of the apparatus or in the handling of the conduits.

' Upon leaving the discharge-openings of the sections 108, each pair of tips comes under the influence of a delivery-controlling and feeding mechanism, which alternately releases the tips from the conduits and advances them into the 3 clamping device to receive the action of the punchingmechanism. Each section 100 terminates opposite a vertical shoulder 126 (Fig. 3) at one side of a channel through a block 128 From a tip may rest, retained against forward travel by the corresponding shoulder 126. Through the block, transversely of the conduits and channel 134, are spaced vertical slots 136, 136, in which I is movable a slide or valve member 138 (Fig. i 2), shown as made up of connected plates.

Through the slide, co-operating. with the chairnel-space 134 and with the walls 132, 132, is an opening 1 40 rising to at least the tops of the discharge-openings of the conduits, and partially divided by a depending wall 142 at its center. At each side of the wall 142 is a portion 144 of the opening'140. These openings 144, 144 may be respectively alined with the conduits 103, and will then permit a tip therein to move against and be temporarily retainedagainst advance by the corresponding shoulder 126 while resting upon the top of the wall 132. As appears in Fig. 2, one opening portion 144 is positioned joined by a link 154 to the slide. The movement of the slide. in each directionoccurs once for is such that, for one extreme, the relation just referred to as illustrated in Fig. 2 is set up, while at the opposite extreme a'tip is allowed to pass from the left-hand conduit, while the flow from that at the right is cut off. Uponeach movement of the slide, a previously discharged tip is caused to roll down one ofthe walls 132 into thechannel- 134. Here, itis ready to be fed intopunching position between the jaws 52 and 56. If, in this delivering movement of the slide, a tip happens to be caught with its end projecting from one of the conduits instead of advancing fully into the abutment-space against a shoulder 126, the contact of the edge of the opening 140 in the slide with this ologgedtip will not injure the mechanism, since the conduit in which the projecting tip is held will yield against the spring 120'. Under some conditions, this tip may remain thus retained until it is cleared maneach operation of the'punch 20, and its extent ually, or it may free itself, so the discharge will be resumed. In the former instance, the clogged conduit will continue to oscillate idly un er the influence of the slide. a

Arranged to slide horizontally in the arm-extension 105, in alinement with thechannel-space 134, is a feed-bar 160/ The inner portion of this bar appears in Figs. 2 and 5 of the drawings as divided, the parts'being drawn together by a screw 162 to clamp a feeding pin 164. This pin may or may not be adapted to enter the longitudinal bore which umbrella-tips of this character ordinarily contain. If the drilling of this bore is likely to be irregular, it may be desired a is satisfactory, the diameter of the pin may be' substantially that of the tip. The bar is connected by a pair of links 166 to a double bellcrank lever 168 fulcrumed at 170 upon the framearm 24. Pivoted upon the lever is a block ,172 carrying a link 174 yieldable downwardly against a spring 176. The lower extremity of the link 174 is articulated to an arm 175 upon a shaft 177 turning horizontally upon the arm 24 and having secured to it an arml78 actuated by a cam 180 fast upon the shaft 32. Thereciprocation of the feeding bar is so timed that it occurs as each tip is delivered into the channel 134. The pin 164, contacting either with the end of the tip-body or the bottomof the bore therein, forces the engaged tip through and out of the channel, its head engaging thechamfered throat '70 of the jaw 56, which it raises against the 1y clamp the tip against displacement, this being followed by the passage of the punch through the work, forming an opening d (Fig. 6).

The operation of the entire organization may be'outlined as follows: The tips T or other-0 jects to be operated on are placed in the drum 80, being elevated by the buckets 82 and dropped upon the two raceways 84. Reachingthe reversing openings 86, those which are head-foremost pass directly through said openings, while those which have the bodies a in advance'cross the The openings and tilt back, heads down, aided by the pushing fingers 95 which lie in their line of travel. Practically all, thus correctlypositioned, descend the chutes 96, leap the spaces 100, provided the alined conduits 102 are not full, and flow down these conduits'in a continuous series.

' In the end section 108 of one conduit, the series rality or series of article livering to the feeding member successively from each series. l

of tips will be stopped by contact of the terminal tip with the slide-wall at 156. The terminal tip in the associated conduit passes on through a portion 144 of the slide-opening, and, upon the succeeding movement of the slide,-is caused to falllaterally into the channel 134 of the block 128, while delivery is atthe same time being made from the conduit in whic the tips were previously held back. Thus, tips are discharged in rapid succesion alternately from the two raceways and their alined conduits, under the control of the .slide. For each delivery thus made, the feeding pin 164 acts to forwardthe delivered tip longitudinallybeneath the clamping jaw 56, which it raises against-the spring 52. Here it is more firmly clamped by the foot 72 upon the descending plunger 22, and is perforated by the punch 20. For the next cycle of the punching mechanism, a tip from the other raceway is similarly presented and acted upon. .Each tip fed forces out from beneath the jaw 58 the punched tip, which may be received in a. container. At this time, the jaw is released from the pressure member '72, and is only held down by its spring 62. i i Having describedmy invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is: I

l. The combination with punching 11188112.- nism, of a receptacle arranged to receive in a mass articles tobe punched, means for conducting. the articles from the receptacle'one by one punching mechanism, and means for detel-mining the end of each article which shall be advanced foremost to the punching mechanism.

2. The combination; with punching mechanism, of a receptacle arranged to receive in a mass articles to be punched means for advancing simultaneously a plurality of series of varticles from the, receptacle. toward the punching mechanism, and means for delivering successively to the punching mechanism terminal articles of diirerentseries- 1 3. The combination with punching mechanism, of a receptacle arranged toreceive in 'a mass articles to be. unched, means for advanci ing simultaneously a plurality of-seriesof articles from the receptacle toward the punching mechanism,'means for delivering successively to the punching mechanism terminal articles of different series, and means for limiting the thus delivered articles to those having. a particular end foremost. l

4. The combination with. punching mechanisni, of a movable article-feeding member cooperating therewith, means for advancing a pluand means for deie-feeding member cooperating therewith, means for advancing a plurality of series. of articles,'means for delivering to the feeding member successively from different series of articles, and an article-reversing device associated with the advancing means of 6. The combination with punching mechanism, of a receptacle for articles to be punched, two conduits receiving articles from the receptacle, amember receiving articles from the conduits and being movable to feed them to the punching mechanism, and means for alternately delivering; articles from the conduits to the feeding member. v g I '7. The combination with punching mechanism, of a receptacle for articles to be punched, two conduits receiving articles from the receptacle,- amember receiving articles from the conduits and being morals-1e to feed them to the punching mechanism, and means for alternately deliveringarticles from the conduits to the feeding member, portionsci the conduits adjacent to the delivering ,means being yieldable.

8. The combination with operating mechanism, of a receptacle for articles to be operated upon, two conduits receiving articles from the receptacle, the conduits having end sections movable independently of the bodies of said conduits, a spring against the action which the end sections in y'yield, a delivering memperfior the operating mechanism co-operating with theconduits and movable in the direction of their yield.

9.- The combination with operating mecha nisrnand a receptacle for articles to be operated upon, of a conduit receiving articles from thereceptacle and having a movable end section, members providedfwith slots in which the end section rests, a spring arranged to draw the end section against the extremities of the slots, and a delivering member for the operating mechanism movable in co-operation with the end section. v

10. Tiled/0111" "tien with punching mechanism, of a receptacle for articles to be punched, an oscillatory raceway .i seiving articles from the receptacle, a chute depending from the raceway, and a conduit receiving a icles from th chute but spaced therefrom a delivering said articles at the punchingmech: s n.

11. The combination with operating mechanism and a receptacle for articles to be operated upon, of an inclined raceway provided with an opening overwhich the articles travel from the receptacle to the operating mechanism, the size of the opening being sufficient to permit passage of thearticles through it, and a member situated above the raceway in proximity to the upper end ofthe opening and arranged for contact with articles which are over the opening.

-12. The combination with operating mechanism and a receptacle for articles to be operated 'upon, of a raceway provided with an opening having a portion contracted transversely of the raceway and through which certain articles travel directly from the receptacle to the operating mechanism, said opening being arranged to reverse the travel of other articles.

l3.'The combination with operating mechanism and a receptacle for articles tobe operated upon, of an inclined r ceway provided with an having a portion contracted transversely of the raceway and through which the articles travel from the receptacle to the operating mechanism, and a pushing member acting'upon the articles at the lower end or" the opening.

15. The combination with operating mechanism and a receptacle for articles to be operated upon, of an inclined raceway provided with an opening having a portion contracted transversely of the raceway and through which the articles travel from the receptacle to the operating mechanism, a finger extending in proximity to the upper end of the opening and contacting with articles which are over said opening, and a finger extending along the raceway below the opening and in the line of travel of the articles.

16. The combination with operating mechanism and a receptacle for articles to be operated upon, of conduits through which articles are advanced from the receptacle for the operation upon them, a member having a channel situated between the conduits and leading to the operating mechanism, and a movable member controlling the flow of articles from the conduits to the channel.

17. The combination with operating mechanism and a receptacle for articles to be operated upon, of conduits through which articles are advanced from the receptacle for the operation upon them, a member having a channel situated between the conduits and leading to the operating mechanism, a movable member controlling the flow of articles from the conduits to the channel, and a feeding member movable in the channel.

18. The combination with operating mechanism and a receptacle for articles to be operated upon, of two conduits through which articles are advanced from the receptacle for the operation upon them, a member having a retaining wall alined with each conduit and a channel situated between said walls and leading to the operating mechanism, and a movable valve member having a divided opening each portion of which is alternately alined with one of the retaining walls and with the channel.

19. The combination with operating mechanism and a receptacle for articles to be operated upon, of two conduits through which articles are advanced from the receptacle for the operation upon them, a member having a retaining wall alined with each conduit and a channel situated between said walls and leading to the operating mechanism, a movable valve member having a divided opening each portion of which is alternately alined with one of the retaining walls and with the channel, and a feeding member movable through the channel and through the opening in the valve member.

20. The combination with a die-block, of a clamping member fixed below the die-block, an upper clamping member situated above the companion member and pivoted for movement toward and from it, a spring ar anged to force the upper member toward the lower, a reciprocatory punch co-operating with the die-block, and a pressure member movable with the punch and engaging the upper clamping member.

21. The combination with a die-block, or" a clamping member fixed below the die block, an upper clamping member situated above the conipanion member and pivoted for movement toward and from it, a sprim arranged to force the upper member toward the lower, a reciprocatory punch Jo-operating with the die-block, a pressure memher movable with the punch and engaging the upper clamping member, and a reciprocatory feed ing member arranged to thrust articles to bepunched between the clamping members.

22. In an apparatus ror punching umbrella-tipsf a rotatable drum for holding a supply of tips, punching mechanism comprising a die-block and a reciprocatory punch, and a plurality of conduits arranged to conduct the tips from the drum to the punching mechanism.

23. In an apparatus for punching umbrella-tips, said tips having a body-portion, a head and an intermediate reduced portion, punching mechanism, a rotatable drum for holding a supply of tips, and a raceway receiving tips from the drum and advancing them toward the punching mechanism, the raceway being providedwith means arranged to pass the tips with the heads in a definite direction.

24. In an apparatus for punching umbrella-tips, said tips having a body-portion, a head and an intermediate reduced portion, punching mechanism, a rotatable drum for holding a supply of tips, a raceway receiving tips from the drum and advancing them toward the punching mechanism, there being an opening in the raceway with a contracted portion of less width than the bodies and heads of the tips and Wider than the reduced portions, and a finger contacting with the tips in the raceway above the opening and arranged to retain those which are body-foremost until they have bridged the space between the contracted portion and the forward extremity of the opening.

25. In an apparatus for punching umbrella-tips, said tips having a body-portion, a head and an intermediate reduced portion, punching mechanism, a rotatable drum for holding a supply oi tips, a movable raceway receiving tips from the drum and advancing them toward the punching mechanism, there being an opening in the raceway With a contracted portion of less width than the bodies and heads of the tips and wider than the reduced portions, and a finger fixed relatively to the raceway and contacting with the tips in the raceway below the opening.

26. In an apparatus for punching umbrella-tips, a rotatable drum for holding a supply of tips, punching mechanism comprising a die-block and a reciprocatory punch, a plurality of conduits arranged to conduct the tips from the drum to the punching mechanism, a member movable laterally of the tips to deliver them successively from dif ferent conduits, and a feeding member arranged to advance the delivered tips longitudinally to the punching mechanism.

27. In an apparatus for punching umbrella-tips, a rotatable drum for holding a supply of tips, punching mechanism comprising a die-block and a reciprocatory punch, a plurality of conduits arranged to conduct the tips between the drum and punching mechanism, a member movable laterally of the tips to deliver them successively from dif ferent conduits, a feeding member arranged to advance the delivered tips longitudinally to the punching mechanism, and a yieldable clamp associated with the punching mechanism into which the feeding member forces the tips.

28. In an apparatus for punching umbrella-tips, a rotatable drum for holding a supply of tips, punching mechanism comprising a die-block and a reciprocatory punch, a plurality of conduits arranged to conduct the tips between the drum and punching mechanism, a member movable laterally oi the tips to deliver them successively from different conduits, a feeding member arranged to new advance the delivered tips longitudinally to the punching mechanism, a yieldable clamp associated with the punching mechanism into which the feeding member forces the tips, and a pressure member reciprocating with the punch and contacting with the clamp.

29. The combination with a die-block and a cooperating reciprocatory punch movable above said die-block, of a yieldable clamp arranged below the MARK E. FERNALD. 

